Bought a banger

[Marty8v]

Hi, just bought a 1989 1.8 Gti and having a few problems:

1. cant identify the engine code due to excess corrosion and pitting on the block, half the numbers survived but the first part missing!

2. Engine smokes excessivley on acceleration/ decelleration

3. Big end main bearings worn I think, anyone had this fixed and at what cost? (oil light came on after a while and then engine stopped working although oil up to max mark)

4. Engine idles too high, sometimes erratic

This is my first Gti and some ideas and help would be greatly appreciated,

Many thanks

[FBF]

sounds like the kind of car thats going to cost more than its worth to fix. dont like the sound of the oil light coming on then it cutting out. could have caused some major damaged if the pumps nakered 

[Ozz]

Its not white with a red bonnet and covered in rust is it . . .    cos it sounds a lot like the banger I've got up in Bath, and that engine really is rather screwed! If you're willing to take the work on yourself you could probably fix it for not too much, but if you're going to pay to have it fixed I think you would be talking about a lot of money, far more than buying a working gti.

[rubjonny]

it should be a PB engine code, digifant fuel injection.  Get a 2.0 8v bottom end for it, 2e code from a Passat or MK3 Golf/Vento.  Probably about as cheap as rebuilding your bottom end once you add up all the costs!

If you want to stick with a 1.8 lump, any MK1/MK2 1.8 lump will work, they're all the same.

[Marty8v]

Thanks for the replies, I really dont want to send her to the scrap heap as everything else is in great condition, The bottom end swap sonds like a valid option, how easy is a complete engine swap on one of these?

[rubjonny]

easy job really, how easy depends on what equipment you have available, if you have an engine hoist it helps.
The advantage of the MK2 is you can take the front end off complete and pull the engine out from the front!

With the 2.0 conversion, what you do is swap the bottom end onto the existing head, and plug everything back in as it was before, dead easy

[Ozz]

Also you should be able to pick up a decent replacement engine for under a 100 quid for it.

[silkyballs]

very easy dude just remember to dot your i's and cross your t's else things could get nasty!i found this out when i just did mine and found a  6mm bolt wedged in one of the inlet valves!my own fault!

[knobby]

Hi

In the boot under the carpet there should be a sticker with the model number and somewhere there should list the engine code! as Rub jonny said i bet its a PB.

smoking could either be the Oil stem seals or the piston rings. Might be worth doing a compression test to see how good ya rings are. Oil stem seals are easy and cheap enough to do. The rings are usually brough from main dealer and are expensive for what they are. I recon the Oil stem seals would do the trick, worked on mine.

If its old, i'd suggested giving the engine a good flush out, treat her to come new oil and filter. Might as well do this when u do the oil stem seals. With one of my early mk2's the oil light used to come on loads, i flushed the coolent and treated her to some nice clean water and it sorted the problem. Your probably need to get a hose in there if it hasnt been done for a while, thats what i had to do, the coolant was like rusty water.

If you are a capable DIY mechanic most things can be done reletively cheaply on a golf.